The Dangerous Thief (Stolen Hearts #3)(50)

“She is trying to help. Calm down or get out. You’re no use to her like this.”

He clenched his jaw so tight he heard a pop. Toni at least had the decency to look a little freaked out, even though she didn’t move away. He didn’t know what pissed him off the most: her calm attitude as Willa was driving away with that son of a bitch or the fact that he knew she was right. He never let his emotions get in the way of a job. Ever.

But this wasn’t a fucking job. It was Willa.

“I see the black Honda,” said Jennifer from up front. “I’m going to keep the closest trail we can.”

Toni made eye contact as she hit the Enter key, silently telling him they were off mute. “Okay, babe,” she said. “We’ve got eyes on you and I’m trying to get into traffic cams. But we’re going to need your help. If you turn or merge somewhere, give us a sign.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. James balled his hands into fists as he tried not to hit the dashboard again. He knew that Willa was trying to be discreet but he would give anything at the moment for a steady stream of her annoying babbling.

“What happened to your face, Daddy?” she said, allowing James to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Jadon.

“Well, I don’t want to be going north in a car that reeks and may or may not be stolen. We don’t always get what we want, so answer my questions. Who was it?”

“One of the goons Sterling sent. He wants to come back and he’s cleaning house. I thought cleaning house was getting rid of Hart and those Murray criminals. But he doesn’t trust me. He doesn’t believe in coincidences and there are too many coincidences around us. But I’m not going to sit back and wait for them to kill me. We’re getting out of the country tonight.”

James rubbed his head and thought about what he knew about Jadon Belli. He was an intimidating man, but he wasn’t exactly a physical threat. Maybe he’d underestimated the man. Or maybe.... “Ask him who assaulted him,” said James. “Get a physical description.”

Toni eyed him questioningly. “Is that important?” she mouthed.

He nodded and waited for Willa to speak.

“Daddy, it looks bad. Are you sure we don’t need to get you to a hospital?”

Jadon snorted. “They’ll kill me if I go to a hospital. We’re leaving. I’d rather die of a concussion on a private plane than a bullet to the head in a hospital.”

“Keep pressing,” said James. “I need to know what he was up against.”

“How did you get away?” asked Willa. Still not the question he wanted answered but he forced himself to let her keep working. “Did you shoot him? Was it a big guy? A little guy? Did you fight him off? Do I know him?”

Atta girl. Keep rambling until he got what he needed.

“It was a big guy,” said Jadon dismissively.

“Jennifer, you saw the guy in Jadon’s office. He was a professional. All these guys Sterling is sending in are professionals. Guys like me.”

Toni nodded slowly in understanding. “And Jadon wouldn’t be any match against a guy like you.”

Jennifer cursed. “This is a setup.”

“Willa, I want you to stay calm when I tell you this. Whoever worked your father over probably let him go. They’re flushing him out, probably after the same things we are. If he is going to run, he’s going to grab whatever leverage he has first. Wherever he’s going, they’re tracing his every move.”

“I don’t see anyone around,” said Jennifer.

“There’s probably something on your father or in the car that they’re using to track. Once he gets to his stash, they’re going to take him out. You need to get out of there the second the car stops.”

There was silence as everyone waited to see what Willa was going to say. Damn it, he wanted to be able to see her expression. He wanted to hold her hand and promise her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. A damned hard promise to keep when he was so far away. “Go faster,” he growled to Austin.

Then Willa’s voice came over the line, clear and calmer than she had any right to be under the circumstances. “Are we going to the airport?”

“I have to stop and pick up some things.”

“Things not stored at your apartment?”

“No. We’re going to your mom’s place.”





The drive had only been about half an hour long, but it felt like an eternity. Relaxation was impossible considering everything that was going on. She did her best to give covert directions, but Jennifer was good about telling her whether she could see where they were turning or not, so she was able to get it into casual conversation. The only pause was when they had to get through the security gate once they reached the posh subdivision. She couldn’t see what code he entered into the gate that let it slide open and let to a long driveway.

“What kind of house has a security pad at the entrance?” It was a stupid question. She knew better than most that some houses had a lot more security than others, but she wanted James to know what was coming.

“This is a nice area,” said Jadon dismissively.

“We’re going to be there soon,” said James. “We can get through the keypad. How many digits was it?”